Capsule technology continues to be subject to development and improvements. In its basic form, standard containers for pharmaceuticals or other powdered, granular, or liquid substances, so-called telescope-type capsules, include a tubular-shaped or cylindrically-shaped first part, namely the cap part, which is closed on one end and open on the other end. A tightly fitting second part of similar shape, but of smaller diameter, can be telescopically inserted into the cap part, the second part being referred to as the main part or body part.
Separation of the cap and body is often prevented by friction and/or various modifications of an exterior surface of the body and/or an opposed inner surface of the cap. Usually, the containers are supplied to a filling apparatus in a “prelock” (or pre-closed) condition in which the body part is telescoped only partially into the cap. The two parts are separated in the filling machine and then fully closed after the filling operation.
In addition to various locking mechanisms intended to secure the various parts of a multi-part capsule after filling, the parts may alternatively or additionally be sealed by various methods. Generally, such sealing includes the spraying with a liquid or dipping of the capsule parts in a liquid. Such liquid may itself provide adhesive and/or sealing properties. Alternatively, such liquid may result in the partial dissolution or disintegration of portions of the capsule parts, whereby the capsule parts are fused or sealed upon evaporation of the liquid. Illustrative liquid sealing methods and solutions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,721 to Bodenmann et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/485,686, US 2007-0036830A1 to Vanquickenborne et al., which is also incorporated by reference, describes a capsule having a pre-lock position and a lock position, and a fluid gap between the cap and body that aids in restricting a sealing fluid between the cap and body, thereby improving the seal between the cap and body. The particular sealing fluid chosen will depend, in part, upon the composition of the capsule parts, but may include, for example, water or an alcohol. Capsules may be constructed from a variety of film-forming agents such as gelatin, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), pullulan, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,267 to Duynslager et al., also incorporated by reference with regard to the structure of the capsule products disclosed, describes a particular type of telescoping capsule with pre-lock and lock positions.
Commercial products include those sold under the names Coni-Snap® and Qualicaps.
Once filled and closed, containers such as those described above comprise a single interior volume within which their contents are enclosed and from which their contents are ultimately delivered. However, many pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and the like are more effective when delivered in more than one dose or when delivered in combination with another compound. Thus, in order to provide such multiple or combination doses, the compounds themselves are typically modified to provide sustained, pulsatile, or delayed release. This can be an expensive process and requires specialized equipment.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a container which had separate compartments and which provided the ability to deliver multiple ingredients wherein the ingredients were kept separate until dosing. It is a further benefit of the invention to provide such a container with separate compartments so that ingredients that were incompatible (especially during storage and before dosing) or which reacted in contact with each other could be in the form of a single container. It is yet another goal of the present invention to provide a container with the ability to create a unique and attractive appearance for marketing, to obtain improved compliance in dosing (for example, in pediatric use). To this extent, a need exists for containers, such as pharmaceutical capsules, that permit multiple or combination doses to be administered to an individual that, for example, do not require the delivered compound(s) to be modified (such as the formation of salts or derivatives of the compound) to provide such multiple or combination doses which otherwise would normally require separate delivery vehicles.